


Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

by TheFightingBull



Series: The Wolf [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Affectionate Insults, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, Fix-It of Sorts, Identity Reveal, Insults, Negan Being Negan (Walking Dead), Nice Negan (Walking Dead), Pansexual Negan (Walking Dead), Secret Identity, Slurs, Sort Of, Swearing, Whistling, it's negan's mouth, vulgarity, who is surprised?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:00:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25352851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFightingBull/pseuds/TheFightingBull
Summary: The perspectives of various members of the Survivors when they meet and get to know a charismatic, albeit vulgar, stranger. (Kind of a fix it)
Relationships: Rick Grimes/Negan
Series: The Wolf [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860526
Comments: 19
Kudos: 56





	1. Daryl

**_Daryl_ **

****

“How many walkers you killed?” Daryl Dixon asked the stranger.

He, Rick, and Aaron had seen the man all over the area for the past few weeks. He was seen in the woods, seen in the towns scavenging what he could to survive, but never had they seen him with anyone. Loners were considered dangerous and were usually by themselves for reasons that disturbed Rick and Aaron.

But Daryl wasn’t sure that was very fair.

If not for Rick, he’d be one of those loners, too. He could survive just fine on his own and it had proven to be safer on numerous occasions. Daryl never would have gotten himself mixed up with half the enemies Rick seemed to draw to himself and their family.

The stranger, as he was still known, grinned widely and shook his head. “You’re shitting me, right? Who the fuck has the time to keep track of _that_?”

Daryl could tell Rick wasn’t pleased with the answer. It worried Daryl for the sake of the man, because Rick had been against the idea of Aaron and Daryl looking for more people. Refusing to answer the question might push Rick to tell them all to forget about it. Still, it wasn’t like anyone kept track anymore. It might have mattered in the beginning, but the fact was, most people still alive were long since desensitized to killing walkers.

“How about a guess?” Aaron suggested.

“Well...” The man with thick black hair that fell about in messy curls looked contemplative as he scratched at the salt and pepper beard growing all about his jaw and neck. “Probably somewhere around two hundred, I’d imagine.”

It was obvious Rick was a lot more pleased with the man attempting a guess. Knowing that, Daryl went ahead with the second question. “How many people you killed?”

The stranger’s eyes widened and for a moment Daryl had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t want to know this man’s tragedy any more than Daryl wanted him knowing theirs. But there wasn’t really a better way. Not anymore, not without background checks or references.

The man shook his head and looked as if he might cry. Whatever it had been, it was bad. “Fuck all three of you,” he laughed in a sad, watery way that indicated he was trying to gather some courage. Finally, he answered. “Four.”

“Why?” Rick asked immediately.

The man did shed a few tears then. “Oh come on, you _know_ why. You’ve been out here. I killed to fucking survive. To keep some shit-stain from blowing my damned head off because I found a bottle of clean, unopened water after nearly two days without anything to eat or drink.

“My third kill was a kid." He took a deep breath, like maybe he wouldn't get detailed, but Daryl was relieved when the man continued. Rick wouldn't have let it go without the details. "Just barely sixteen years old and she was, she was so scared that she’d feel it. That she’d somehow be aware. It was a fear she used to talk about every night at the campfire with her mom and dad. They didn’t have the stomach for it, though. She was already in pain, so much fucking pain… Zombie fuck ripped a big chunk out of her stomach. It was only a minute or two, but fuck me, it felt like it went on for hours before I put a bullet between her eyes.

“The second person I ever killed was some asshole who wouldn’t lay off his sons. Kept beating them down like they were the reasons the world was torn apart. I warned him. I told him if I saw it again, I’d beat his fucking skull in with a baseball bat. I shouldn’t have hesitated. A day later his youngest son was missing and his oldest, a kid barely seventeen years old was dead from the nastiest beating I’d ever seen. It was so bad the kid didn’t rise again,” he sniffled and Daryl saw the regret and disappointment in his expression. “Never did find the ten year old.” 

“But my first kill?” Gone was any sense of despair or frustration from the man’s dark hazel eyes as his entire tone shifted. He looked up at Daryl first, then over to Aaron and Rick. Daryl could see the hatred, the cold lack of remorse even before the smile spread, sharp and slow. “My first kill was a God damned _animal_ and my only regret was that I didn’t drag his death out after what I caught him doing to that little girl.”

Daryl didn’t want or need further explanation and he hoped Rick would let it drop. He could tell by how pale Aaron got that the Alexandrian was no more enthusiastic about delving deeper into that story than Daryl was.

“People suck,” Daryl muttered.

“Shit, I’d like them a helluva lot more if they did,” the stranger snickered, turning the morose moment into a fucking middle school joke.

Rick looked alarmed by how rapidly the man’s moods could change, but honestly, Daryl was convinced that he’d settle down with some exposure to good, reliable people. The reasons for his four kills weren’t suspect to Daryl. Quite the opposite. Clearly the man had some compassion beneath his vulgar tongue and his rusty manners.

Wasn’t like Daryl was any better. How long had it taken Rick and the others to tame the irritable little monster out of him? Daryl wasn’t stupid. Had it not been for Rick and his family, Merle would have turned him into another sad excuse for a human being.

“You sure about this, Daryl?” Rick asked in a low whisper when the three turned to make their decision.

He nodded. “I think he’s telling the truth. Not like he’s bringing in anyone else. He’ll die out here on his own.”

Aaron was quick to offer his own vote of confidence. “He needs us, Rick. We can’t let a lot of people in, I get that. But like Daryl said, he’s just one man. One man who will not survive if we let him wander off.”

With a solemn nod, Rick closed his eyes. He then turned to Daryl’s prospect and smiled. “Gotta say, we’ve got teens and young kids running around, so my only concern is you cleaning up your language,” Rick smiled as he offered him his hand. “I’m Rick Grimes and I’d like to invite you to come back to Alexandria with us.”

“Can’t be any worse than Abraham,” Daryl muttered.

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you boys taking a chance on me. I’m Denny,” the man took Rick’s hand and shook it vigorously. “Denny Patrick.”


	2. Rick

**_Rick_ **

Rick Grimes wasn’t unnerved by the stranger anymore. He really hated the way the man talked, but what he had assumed would be a socially inept jerk, incapable of getting along with their community turned out to be a diamond in the rough. Denny Patrick had integrated easily by proving his worth as a solid scavenger, but more importantly, a very knowledgeable teacher and friend to the teens and kids.

Carl, Enid, and a few others that Rick honestly didn’t know the names of, followed Denny around like a litter of puppies. The man was pretty reclusive in the house they gave him, but the moment he stepped foot outside, the children and teens knew it and flocked to him.

Probably had something to do with Denny’s constant whistling.

Carl had taken to calling him Whistler, which was apparently a comic book character from a series called Blade? Even more exciting to Carl was that Denny knew exactly what he was talking about and easily kept up with a conversation about superheroes and villains. Rick didn’t know about any of it, but that was okay. Michonne, Carl and Denny could enjoy their comic book talk.

He headed down to the town gates for a run when he heard that familiar, high-pitched whistle. With a smile he turned to face Denny. “Coming on a run with me?”

“Gorgeous, you couldn’t fucking stop me if you tried,” Denny winked.

That was something else that had started almost as soon as they brought Denny into the fold. The man was a notorious flirt. Rick might have taken him seriously and been a little worried about hurting the man’s feelings had it not been for the fact that Denny called everyone something other than their real name. Good or bad, he was always ready with some form of nickname or term of endearment.

Unfortunately for a small few, the names weren’t at all complimentary.

Spencer for instance, had somehow managed to offend Denny the first night he’d come to Alexandria. It was truly a feat all things considered. But since that night, Spencer wound up with the worst of the nicknames. Dickless, Fuckwit, Jizz-Stain, and countless others that rolled off Denny’s tongue smooth but caught like the barbed-wire that was wrapped about his bat. The son of Alexandria’s former leader had learned within a few days to just stay away from Denny.

“Abraham coming along?” Denny asked when Rick didn’t have anything to say to his flirting.

“Not today,” Rick shook his head and noted the disappointment in the man’s eyes. Abraham Ford was the only man who didn’t blush at half the crap that came out of Denny’s mouth. “He and Sasha are working some things out.”

Denny’s eyes lit up. “Sure, if by working you mean fucking and by ‘some things’ you mean her pussy. At least someone’s getting their fucking freak on around here.”

“ _ Denny _ !” Rick scolded, embarrassed by the uncouth language.

Instead of looking sorry or properly rebuked, Denny only smiled wider and wagged his black eyebrows at him. “What do you say you and me get a little freaky-deaky, Officer Grimes?”

Rick rolled his eyes and laughed. “Shut up, Denny.”


	3. Maggie

**_Maggie_ **

****

Maggie tilted her head as she walked over to the smallish house with the big wrap around porch. Sitting comfortably in a wooden rocking chair was Denny. He was whistling something, something that felt like it would have been familiar to her before the whole “end of the world” thing happened. He had a pen in his right hand and a thick college ruled notebook in the other.

She couldn’t make out what was scribbled over the front. Something about ‘points’.

“What have you got there?” she asked curiously.

“Maggie Rhee,” Denny grinned as he looked her up and down in an obviously shameful way. It would have insulted her before, but honestly, he was like that with everyone. So much so in fact, that she and Glenn believed it was all bravado to hide the fact he wasn’t a fan of sex. “Sweetheart, you look good enough to eat.”

She cringed and shook her head. “Don’t say that. We had a run in with a cannibal group before we came to Alexandria.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “You’re shittin’ me.” He looked as disgusted as anyone who first heard about it, but unlike most of the people in their little hamlet, Denny would find some way to smile about it. “Well fuck them sideways for ruining a perfectly dirty innuendo.”

At first, Maggie was going to continue on with her walk, but he cleared his throat and waved her up to sit in the empty rocker beside him. The man was very good at reading people and must have suspected that she wanted to talk with him. Glenn was on a run and she liked getting to know more about him. 

Especially since Glenn seemed to like him so much.

“I’m working on a point system,” he told her softly, as if it was some big secret to keep between just them. “Doubt Rick’ll go for it, but he’d be fucking stupid to not at  _ least _ look it over.”

The idea of a point system sounded strange and she had no idea what he was talking about, but she was curious. “May I?”

“Knock yourself out, sweet-cheeks,” he chuckled and handed it over.

She looked over a few pages and blinked in surprise. “This is, this is a payment system for goods and services.”

“That it is,” Denny nodded.

“It’s real ambitious,” Maggie said, trying to make sense of the values and the set up. “Where’d you get the idea?”

“School,” he shrugged. “Some fancy cocksucker with a degree in child psychology said we should be rewarding good behavior with points or taking them away for bad. You earn enough points you were eligible for different perks. Lost ‘em or dropped down to so many and you were scheduled detention or some dumb shit.”

“Did it work?”

Denny grinned. “Yeah, it did. This wouldn’t be quite the same obviously. Points would be used as a form of money.”

“But the problem with points is that there’s nothing substantial about them,” Maggie countered. “Nothing physical to hold on to. You have to trust each other’s word and how it would be kept track of.”

“It’s all right there,” Denny shrugged. “Gotta keep a ledger and a tight fucking leash on it. Sure, you could  _ use _ buttons or some shit if you really had to have that physical representation; the only problem with that is how fucking available is what you choose? Can any turd just pick one up and claim to have more points than they really should? Too rare, then what do you do when you run out?”

Maggie continued to look it over and was really impressed by how well thought out the whole thing seemed to be. Denny had even included hourly point rates for various jobs or job types. It was all subjective, but there was a large amount of work that had gone into it. Clearly this was something that had been important to him.

She bit at her bottom lip and looked him over.

“Aaron said you’d never been part of a community,” she started gently. Her gut twisted at the contradiction. “But this, this is too specific, too informed to have just been something you dreamed up.”

Denny’s easy smile never left his face. “Never said I wasn’t part of a community before, darlin’. Not sure where Aaron got that from.” He took the notebook back and smiled down at it proudly. “The community I came from made use of it. Had to make some adjustments over time, but I think it worked out real well.”

She didn’t want to push him, but she was curious now. It had to be bad if he wasn’t still with them, right? Softening her voice a little more, she placed a hand on his forearm. “Will you tell me what happened to them? Why you aren’t with them anymore?”

As was his style, he smiled wider. During the first few weeks she was sure she had him down. Mistakenly, she believed he was the type to laugh to keep from crying. To hide hurt with nasty jokes or insults. The more boisterous and animated he became, the more uncomfortable he probably was. But as time went on, Maggie started to realize that Denny was just a little off, because he was  _ always  _ behaving that way. So, either he was constantly uncomfortable, or he really was just a big, insensitive asshole with the humor of a fifteen-year-old boy.

“Oh Maggie,” he shook his head. “There was just so much shit that happened and things got dark. The fucking wailing and sobbing? I could have fucking handled that. We went through something. Lost a lot of people unexpectedly. But what they wanted...”

“What happened?” she asked softly.

“Same thing that happens to every community sooner or later. Ravagers and raiders,” he shrugged. “These people were fast, quiet, and ruthless. They struck us silently, didn’t spare a fuckin’ soul… Fuck me, Maggie, the devastation… Me and a couple of the guys had been out scavenging and when we all got back, I couldn’t handle it.

“The other three with me? Grown ass men bawling their eyes out, begging for the nastiest fucking retribution we could come up with. But damn, I sure as shit don’t have to tell you. Some of the crap I heard your fucking crew has gone through since the beginning? Probably know all about it firsthand.”

She nodded quietly. “So, they wanted revenge and you left?”

Denny picked at the edge of his notebook and nodded his head. “Tell you the God’s honest truth, I fucking get it, Mags. I know what it’s like out there. Gotta fucking survive somehow, right? Get caught up in the damned drama like a bunch of fucking needle-dick teens and you’re just gonna catch something nasty. Holding a damned grudge? Can’t afford that shit in this fucking nightmare.”

She contemplated his words but couldn’t disagree more. “No, I don’t think that’s true,” she admitted. “I think your old group was right to want vengeance. They were right to want what they did. I know I would.”

“Not me. I’d rather fucking save people, Maggie,” Denny said softly. “Keep the fuckwits jacking off in their hiding spots, fine, but let’s bring the weak and defenseless someplace safe. Keep ‘em protected and cared for. That’s a fucking community’s first priority.”

Maggie smiled and gave his arm a squeeze. “You’re a good man, Denny. I’m sorry for all you’ve lost.”

He shrugged his broad shoulders as a big wide smile crossed his face. “Oh, I don’t know about that. It was easy to leave them because I’m sure the fuckers responsible  _ will  _ get theirs. It’s just a matter of time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been advised not to post this story's chapters day by day, to try a weekly roll out. Problem is, it's completed. And I can't not post when I know it's completed. Let me know how you all like this story. I'm already working on a second part to this story from the perspective of the Saviors.


	4. Michonne

**_Michonne_ **

****

They wandered through the forest quietly. Or as quiet as a scavenging party that included Denny Patrick could be. She and Daryl moved as gently through the foliage as a summer breeze, but Denny? Even though he moved like a cat, he whistled. Was whistling again.

“You know you are going to lead walkers right to us!” Michonne scolded.

“Sorry, honey, just a tick.” But she knew his apology was insincere if only because his smile was too genuine.

She gritted her teeth. “This isn’t a game, Denny. Walkers are a threat! They’ll never not be and every second we spend out here is just another opportunity for us to fall to one.”

Denny snorted and rolled his eyes. “Honey, a total fucking bad ass like you is more likely to lose your life to the living than the dead.”

She heard Daryl’s footsteps before his voice. “No point arguin’ with him. No one’s been able to get him to stop before,” Daryl whispered as he stepped up to the two of them. “Let it go ‘Chonne.”

She _ wanted  _ to keep arguing but Daryl was right. They had a goal in mind for the day and they couldn’t succeed if she was too focused on proving a point. She nodded once and started moving through the dense forest. Denny continued his whistling but it was no longer as loud or shrill as it had been when they first started their run.

If anything, it sounded haunting and the tune was achingly familiar.

She tried to place it, but it had been  _ so _ long. She followed along with him and slowly the lyrics started to form in her mind and she couldn’t help but smile. She looked back at him and he winked at her as he switched from whistling to singing softly.

“ _ I can see her lyin’ back in her satin dress, in a room where ya do what ya don’t confess,” _ Denny grinned at her. “ _ Sundown you better take care if I find you been creepin’ ‘round my back stairs _ .”

With a soft smile she joined him on the rejoinder, “ _ Sundown you better take care if I find you been creepin’ ‘round my backstairs _ .”

He continued as they trudged at a leisurely pace. “ _ She’s been lookin’ like a queen in a sailor’s dream and she don’t always say what she really means. Sometimes I think it’s a shame, when I get feelin’ better when I’m feelin’ no pain. Sometimes I think it’s a shame when I get feelin’ better when I’m feelin’ no pain. _ ”

A sharp whistle cut Denny off as they both looked to Daryl. He pointed up ahead and she saw four or five walkers moving toward them. Part of her wanted to snap at Denny, for bringing the dead toward them. But another part was grateful. It had been a long time since she’d heard music and as much as she hated to admit it, Denny was a good singer and it had been nice to listen, even if it was only for a few seconds.

“I take requests you know,” Denny grinned as he started to swing his bat around and helped her and Daryl quickly take down the walkers.It was done in less than two minutes between Daryl’s crossbow, her kitana, and Denny’s bat.

“Unless it’s to shut up,” Daryl snapped, but Michonne didn’t hear any real heat to the archer’s words. Just an underlying smile.

Denny grabbed at his heart and imitated a look of hurt. “Oh Daryl, baby, you wound me. You saying you don’t think I have the voice of an angel?”

Michonne heard more rustling and moved forward to deal with it. Two more of the dead were dispatched by the time Daryl and Denny caught up to her. Denny had started to whistle yet again, but the tune was different than before. She didn’t recognize it this time, but had a feeling Rick would know it if he were there to hear it.

It definitely had a twang, even in Denny’s high notes.

“Well I’ll be damned, look at this fucking shit!” Denny exclaimed his eyes focused on something to their left.

Her own eyes widened at the sight as she and Daryl ran for the overturned semi in a fairly steep ditch. Moss and other horticulture had grown about it, leaving it partially covered. It was the only explanation for it being unlooted. She heard Denny hoop as soon as he crawled inside.

“Fuck yes!” he shouted. “Daryl, get your skinny ass back to Alexandria and get some hands, we’re gonna need all the help we can get.”

Michonne felt her eyes burn with tears as she stared inside of the nearly full trailer. Boxes upon boxes were filled with mostly non-perishables and even some creature comforts. Mouthwash, feminine hygiene products, toilet paper!

It felt like Christmas.

“Seeing this is making me harder than a fucking tire iron!” Denny announced. He grabbed his crotch and wagged his eyebrows at her. “What do you say, sweetheart, feeling like celebrating our find?”

With a laugh she shook her head. “No thank you, Denny.”

“Aww come on, Baby. I’ll even sing to you while I’m pounding that sweet ass,” he grinned.

“Oh, what am I gonna do with you?”

He leered at her with a salacious smile. “You could put my tongue to work between your thighs.”

“Denny!”


	5. Abraham

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> major canon death in a non-canon (ish) way

**_Abraham_ **

When Glenn died out on a run, it was unexpected and horrifying. Maggie was inconsolable as was her right to be. It wasn’t, however, within her rights to try and kill Spencer. Abraham understood her pain and he wanted to take the little coward out back and rough his ass up, too. But that wasn’t the way to handle things. At least, not according to Rick.

Abraham respected the hell out of Rick and if the man said they had to let it go, then that’s what they had to do. Hurting or not, justified or not, Rick said Maggie had to leave Spencer alone. To be fair, he and Sasha had both tried to get  _ anyone _ else to go with Glenn, but Spencer was insistent on  _ proving  _ himself.

He figured it was just to impress Rosita.

Maggie had suggested Denny go with Glenn and Spencer, but the big guy hadn’t returned from his run. It wasn’t odd. Denny liked to always be moving and so he would volunteer for a lot of solo runs. He was a lot like Daryl or Michonne. The only thing that made Abraham concerned was that Denny was a very sociable person. He  _ liked _ being around other people and was something of a showoff. Being alone didn’t really suit Denny Patrick the way it did Michonne or Daryl.

Still, he hadn’t been available and now Glenn was dead.

Dead because Spencer was a useless sack of shit and Glenn had been confident in his ability to get the work done alongside just about anyone.

“Hey Abraham,” Denny greeted, looking concerned at the melancholy state of affairs. He figured the baseball wielding man had only just returned home. “What’s going on?”

“Walkers got Glenn.”

Abraham spit it out because it just wasn’t in his nature to beat around the bush. He knew it would hurt Denny. The older man with the mouth worse than his own had grown real attached to Maggie, Glenn, Carl, Judith and Enid. He looked after them like an older brother or an eccentric uncle. He played games with them, taught them all survival skills, worked with them on their homework, and anything else they needed. 

Denny’s face was impassive for only a few seconds before his brow furrowed and his jaw tightened. Abraham wouldn’t mention the watery look of the man’s hazel eyes or how quickly he’d paled within the seconds of processing what he’d just heard.

“You’re fucking shitting me,” Denny cursed. “Isn’t Maggi—”

“Preggers? Yeah,” Abraham nodded, that feeling of rage and helplessness making his stomach turn.

“Motherfucker,” Denny shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fuck! Was he alone on a run or something?”

Wishing he knew how to comfort the man, or hell any of them really, Abraham closed his eyes. “He went with Spencer Monroe.”

“What’s Rick doing about it?” Denny demanded and there was an edge to the man’s voice that Abraham had yet to hear before. At least, not from Denny Patrick.

No, Abraham heard that edge from fellow soldiers. Men and women who didn’t just crave or desire blood but expected it. He didn’t know much about Denny’s past, but he’d heard the man was a gym and history teacher. Nothing to indicate that he’d served in the military or been part of any hard crowds prior to the whole zombie thing.

“Ain’t nothin’  _ to _ do according to Rick,” Abraham said. “He said there was no proof it was Spencer’s fault and that Glenn wouldn’t want us all killing a man without knowin’ for sure.”

“Fuck Glenn!  _ He’s _ fucking dead,  _ he _ doesn’t get a fucking vote!” Denny snarled, rage burning in his eyes. “I’m gonna rip that fuckstick’s dick off and shove down his goddamned throat!”

Alarmed, Abraham reached out and gripped the man’s left shoulder. “Denny, Denny. I feel you brother, I do, but we both know Shit For Brains ain’t worth getting banished from here. And Rick’s right, we can’t prove shit. We only have Spencer’s word.”

For a moment, Abe wasn’t sure that Denny would back off and for the first time since they’d all known him, Abe was worried. That fire didn’t leave Denny’s eyes, not even as Sasha walked over to them. She offered her apologies to Denny and he stared at her coldly for just a few seconds long enough to make his silence uncomfortable.

“Thanks, darlin’,” Denny smiled suddenly. “Anyone know where the  _ fuck _ Rick is? He and I need to have fuckin’ chat.”

Sasha pointed toward Rick’s house. “He and Michonne are sitting with Maggie.”

Abraham slung an arm around his woman’s shoulder and watched as Denny stalked off quietly toward their fearless leader’s house. At least he wasn’t going after Spencer. That was a man who needed to be watching his back because Abraham truly felt that Denny wouldn’t be letting Glenn’s death go.

“He ain’t right, Abraham,” Sasha whispered as she leaned into his hold on her. “Something about him is tripping the alarm bells in my head.”

“He’s just angry,” he shrugged.

“It’s not just that, Babe,” Sasha started to walk them toward the home they shared with Eugene. “He doesn’t act like a man who’s been alone more often than not. He doesn’t strike me as the type to handle being alone for a few hours, let alone the weeks he claimed he was by himself.”

“What are you saying, Sasha?” Abraham frowned. “Do you think Daryl, Aaron,  _ and _ Rick made a mistake?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know what I’m saying, Babe. I don’t. I just know that things aren’t adding up. He disappears for a few days at a time and comes back without injuries or scratches. He doesn’t tell us wild tales of nearly dying by walkers or even other people, and yet it’s clear he has those experiences. At first I thought maybe it was just a bit of shyness, but that’s not it. He’s  _ keeping _ things from us.”

“Like?” Abraham wasn’t one to ignore a warning. Especially not from a person he respected as much as he did Sasha. He trusted her gut as strongly as he trusted his own, but so far nothing about Denny really worried him.

“How many people he’s killed, for one,” Abraham scoffed at that. “I’m serious, Abraham. He looks for blood among the living as much as he does the dead. There’s something about how easily he discusses death that unnerves me”

“First off, you just said he doesn’t talk enough about his experiences. Second, Baby, do you know how often men like him talk tough? It’s just an act.” It felt like he had to point that out. He knew Sasha was really worried, but he didn’t understand where it was coming from. Not fully. Denny had been a good friend over the past few months and with Glenn gone? It was to be expected that he’d be more than little raw.

“It’s not though,” Sasha insisted. “You know that Abraham, you’ve met people who kill for the fun of it.”

“You’re right, I have,” he acknowledged. “Which is why I am telling you; Denny isn’t one of them. He’ll kill if he has to, and shit, he might even enjoy it  _ when _ the time comes, but he ain’t looking for the opportunity to do it. He ain’t blood thirsty.”

“I hope you’re right, Abraham,” Sasha whispered as they walked up the steps to their home. “I hope you’re right.”


	6. Carl

**_Carl_ **

He’d seen his dad enraged. He’d even seen his dad angry enough to rip a man’s throat out with his own teeth. Carl Grimes knew that his dad was dangerous. He knew for a fact his father wasn’t the type to be intimidated or pushed around. It was why Spencer hated his dad.

So when he saw Denny, Carl knew that what his father had felt before was nothing in comparison. Denny Patrick’s hazel eyes were ablaze with seething hatred. And yet, there wasn’t any yelling like when he was just irritated, annoyed, or even frustrated. Denny didn’t threaten or shout or lash out at Rick, though Carl could see the man’s gloved right hand gripping his baseball bat tightly. 

“Denny,” Rick tried as he stepped forward. “I know yo—”

“Where’s Maggie?” Denny interrupted.

Carl stepped forward. He feared the man might attack his dad and, for the first time in a long time, he wasn’t sure who would come out on top. “Michonne took her upstairs to try and lay down.”

He and his dad watched and waited to see how Denny would take that news.

“Kid, I need a word with your Daddy,” Denny said in a voice that was entirely too calm and lacking in all the color they’d had gotten used to from him.

Carl would normally have done anything Denny asked, but following the order felt like he’d be leaving his dad to stand and fight against a grizzly bear on his own. “Dad?”

Rick offered him a reassuring smile and nodded. “Go check on the girls, Carl. Everything will be fine.”

“That’s a bold fucking promise,  _ Rick _ ,” Denny snarled, but Carl continued toward the stairs none the less. He wasn’t going to hide, though. He wouldn’t leave his dad alone. Not after Shane all those years ago. Not when Rick Grimes tended to be more compassionate toward men he perceived as friends without realizing the danger he was in.

Yeah, Carl knew his dad could take care of himself, he knew he could stand tall against the toughest of men, but what about the meanest? No one in their community had ever seen Denny truly snap and it terrified Carl. The newest member of Alexandria’s community radiated nothing but hate and violence and it was his dad stuck dealing with it.

Not Spencer Monroe. Not Carol, Abraham, Daryl, Michonne, or Sasha. They were all safe in their homes. Or well, all but Carol. The point was, they didn’t have to put up with a man that was so imbalanced. In one instant Carl was sure Denny wouldn’t hit or lash out at his dad and the next he was convinced of the very opposite.

It just sucked not knowing for sure.

“What the  _ fuck _ , Rick!” Denny shouted. “That ball-less, gutless, snot sucking shit-stain is still walking the streets of Alexandria!  _ Why? _ ”

Carl heard Judith cry and cursed silently. He ran up the steps the rest of the way, feeling a little better to hear Denny hollering at his dad. Maybe if he was no longer being quiet and calm it meant that he wouldn’t get violent. Angry, loud Denny felt a lot like  _ happy _ , mean, and loud Denny.

He couldn’t hear his father’s response which bothered him, but he needed to check on his baby sister so he went into the room and saw her standing in her crib, screaming. When he pulled her out of the white crib she clung to him but didn’t settle. He flinched at her screams so close to his ear but didn’t pull her back. Instead he rocked her gently and moved back into the hall to find out if he could hear his dad’s side of the argument.

_ “She has every motherfucking right to string that fucker up by his ball sack and beat him like a fucking pinata!” _

Worry started to push at Carl. He needed to help protect his dad. Denny was too angry and he wasn’t thinking clearly, but the man had never shown a violent side toward a child. Maybe it was for the best that he remind both men that there was in fact a toddler in the house. Seeing Judith might calm Denny down, too.

Lord knew Maggie didn’t need to hear Denny making a case for killing Spencer. Not while she was so hurt by Glenn’s death.

He walked slowly down the stairs, trusting that Michonne would stay with Maggie and keep her from heading down the stairs as well. Judith had stopped wailing, but sniffled and whimpered every few seconds.

“I said no, Denny, and that’s it,” Rick snapped. “I appreciate your perspective, but it’s not happening. Unless someone has definitive proof that he was the reason Glenn died, Spencer lives. Period.”

Carl cringed as he watched Denny head into his dad’s space and grab him roughly by the collar. His dad didn’t look worried, not even a little bit, but Carl was! He cleared his throat loudly as he moved toward both of them. For some reason his father blushed, but at least the sight of them had the desired effect.

Denny backed off entirely and even looked a little sheepish as he stared at Carl’s frightened sister. He immediately offered his hands and Judith leaned anxiously outward for the man. Carl couldn’t help but note that Denny had set his bat down while he’d been upstairs and so he had no problem handing his baby sister over.

“Hey Angel,” Denny smiled and all the fire and fury cooled in the face of Judith’s watery eyes and soft whimpering. “I’m sorry, honey, did I wake you?”

“Yeah,” Carl said and ignored the warning look from his father. “What? He did. It wasn’t right of him to come in here shouting and scaring the hell out of everyone. He’s not the only one that lost Glenn.”

Denny raised a black brow at him, but he smiled warmly. “Well, fuck me, Rick. Think I’ve just been told,” he chuckled as he gently bounced Judith on his hip. “Isn’t that right, Jude. Your big brother just put me in my place, didn’t he?”

She cooed, settling down instantly along with the tension in the room. Carl looked to his dad, just to be sure he was alright, but there wasn’t anything to worry about. Rick nodded and, as Denny began to pace and sing some old song Carl couldn’t really remember hearing before, mouthed the words “thank you” to him.

He nodded to his dad, relieved that he wasn’t in some kind of trouble.

“… _ and anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude refrain. Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders. For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool by making her world a little colder. Na-na-na na-na-na,”  _ Denny sung softly.

As Judith fell asleep in Denny’s arms, Carl approached his dad and let the man throw an arm around his shoulder for a side-hug. There was so much Carl wanted to say to his dad, but he couldn’t with Denny near. He didn’t want Denny thinking his dad was weak, because Rick wasn’t. Still, if Carl asked if his dad was okay, or if he was scared, or worried, he had no doubt that men like Abraham and Denny would see it as a sign that Rick Grimes was getting soft..

Thankfully the situation resolved itself as Denny turned to him and his dad and he eyed the upstairs, silently asking permission to put the child to bed. Rick nodded and the big man took Judith upstairs.

“Carl,” Rick smiled down at him. “I appreciate what you did, but there was no danger. Not to me, and certainly not from Denny.”

“There was, Dad. When he first came in, he was too quiet, too calm,” Carl reminded. “I wouldn’t have brought Judith down if he hadn’t started yelling, but you shouldn’t have sent me away  _ before  _ then. He could have hurt you.”

His dad frowned and pulled him into a full hug. “He just needed to get it out. He needed to let all that hatred be seen by someone. He needed a witness to his pain and anger. I knew he wouldn’t stay quiet for long, just like  _ he _ knew he wouldn’t,” Rick explained. “If he’d really been ready to hurt someone, he wouldn’t have come here. He would have gone directly to Spencer.”

The more his dad talked, the more it started to make a little bit of sense, but Carl wasn’t sure he fully understood Rick’s reaction. Denny made sense the more he thought about it and so did the majority of how his dad handled him. But one part bothered him.

“Why’d you blush when he grabbed your collar?” Carl asked and made sure to look into his dad’s eyes as he did so. His dad probably wouldn’t answer, but his dad’s expressions gave himself away time and time again. “Were you embarrassed that he was gonna hit you?”

To his shock, his dad blushed again. “I wasn’t worried he’d hit me. He wasn’t going to, Carl. He was, he was…”

“Dad, you’re blushing now,” he sighed.

“What’s the matter, Rick? Still haven’t set your son down and told him about those fucking birds and fucking bees?”

When Carl turned to face Denny the man beamed lecherously at his dad and he suddenly knew far more about their friendship than he wanted to. He scrunched his nose and then looked back to Rick. “Seriously?”

“Don’t worry kid, nothing’s happened between me and your old man,” Denny laughed and then his eyes flashed with mischief. “ _ Yet. _ ”

“I’m gonna head to bed,” Carl announced as he walked toward Denny and the stairs. He stopped and scowled up at the man. “Don’t be an asshole to my dad. He was just trying to do the right thing.”

Denny smirked. “Someday Carl, you’re gonna learn that not everyone agrees on what is right and what is wrong.”


	7. Rick

**_Rick_ **

****

They were all on their knees. Every one of them to the sides of Rick. Daryl, Abraham, Eugene, Carl, Maggie, Sasha, Rosita, Aaron, Michonne, and Denny. The men surrounding them, the Saviors, had been whistling around them and something sunk into the pit of Rick’s stomach.

“We got a full boat, let’s meet the man!” Simon announced.

Rick’s eyes widened in surprise as Spencer was tossed out of the RV with a great amount of force. He was dragged to the line and placed beside Maggie. They all looked around, waiting to meet the real Negan because clearly it wasn’t Spencer. The mess of a young man was trembling and crying and very clearly confused to be out here with the rest of them.

A small amount of movement happened as whistling sounded and Denny stood. He walked over to Simon and squeezed the man’s shoulder in camaraderie and then grinned down at all of them. Rick felt sick, not wanting to comprehend what was so quickly and clearly becoming the reality of their situation.

“Pissing our pants yet?” Denny asked with his trademark grin and swung his barb-wired bat up onto his shoulder. “Boy, do I have a feeling we’re close.” He started to pace in front of them all, his eyes alight the same way they’d been the day Glenn died. “Yep. It’s gonna be pee-pee pants city here real soon.”

Rick shook his head and mumbled to himself. “No, no. No way.”

Denny stepped forward and crouched in front of him, pressing his face close to Rick’s. “Hi, Rick,” he said as if greeting him for the first time. “I’m Negan.”

“No!” Maggie shook her head, tears falling quickly down her face. “No, you can’t be.”

“Shut your fucking hole,” Denny – no. Negan. Negan snapped viciously as he pointed his bat toward her. “Unless I ask you to speak, you all keep your fucking mouths shut! Do I make myself clear? Not a fucking word or I swear to God I will make this the last crap day you’ll ever have.”

While Negan paced and spoke, Rick tried to comprehend what had happened and why, but the man started up again and answered those questions. “You know something, I do not appreciate you killing my men,” he grinned down at them like a sinister clown. “Also, when I sent my people to kill your people for killing my people, you killed  _ more _ of my people.

“Not cool,” Negan shook his head with a sneer edging his lips. “You have no idea how  _ not _ cool that shit is! But,” he paused in front of Maggie and winked at her. “I think you’re gonna be up to speed shortly. Yeah. You are  _ so _ gonna regret crossing me in a few minutes. Yes, you are.”

Rick swallowed, glancing at a few of his own and saw they were just as stunned and terrified as he was. All but Abraham, perhaps, who looked more disappointed than terrified, though still stunned by the turn of events.

How could Rick have so badly misjudged the man in front of him? How could he have trusted this man with not only his community, but his own family? This man was a friend of his son’s. A favorite of Rick’s daughter. Just a few days ago he’d sung her to sleep in his arms! Rick had even kissed him! The man still yammering on about a new world order was not, could  _ not  _ be Denny Patrick.

He couldn’t…

“Here goes,” Negan smirked. “Pay attention. Give me your shit… Or I will kill you.” He shrugged as if it were the most obvious solution to their problems with the Saviors. “Today was career day. We invested a lot so you would know  _ who  _ I am and  _ what  _ I can do. You work for me now. You have shit, you give it to me. That’s your job.

“Now, I know that is a mighty big, nasty pill to swallow.” He grinned and paused in front of Carl. Carl, who looked devastated and betrayed. “But  _ swallow it _ you most certainly will.” He then moved back in front of Rick and beamed down at him. “You ruled the roost. You built something. You thought you were safe. I get it.

“But the word is out. You are  _ not _ safe. Not even  _ close _ .” He paced more and Rick almost felt dizzy, but he couldn’t tell if that was from trying to keep track of the energetic man or from the gut-wrenching pain he felt at Negan’s infiltration of his group. “In fact, you are pegged, more pegged if you don’t do what I want. And I want half your shit.

“And if that’s too much, you can make, find, or steal more.” Negan acted as if he was counting up some figures and then chuckled. “And it’ll even out sooner or later. This is your way of life now. The more you fight back, the harder it will be.”

As he listened, Rick tried to settle down his heart and his nerves. How could they have been so wrong about him? He didn’t, he didn’t seem like the man Jesus told them about. He didn’t feel like a monster and yet there Negan was.

Continuing on and on about knocking on doors and what their roles were. He wanted to catch the man’s eyes, but anytime Rick thought he’d make eye contact, Negan moved. And yet, it was clear that Negan wasn’t avoiding eye contact with him. The man was suddenly larger than life and most definitely in his element as he terrorized men and women that he’d been calling friends for the past three months!

“You didn’t really think that you were gonna get through this without being punished, now, did you?” Negan laughed, and the sound chilled Rick to his bones. He glanced at the bat and knew, just knew that what was about to happen was going to be the most awful thing he and his people had experienced thus far. “I don’t  _ want _ to kill you people. Just want to make that clear from the get-go. I want you to work for me. You can’t do that if you’re dead, now can you?

“I’m not growing a garden!”

Negan stopped in front of Maggie again, and Rick wanted to call him back from her. Negan knew she was pregnant with Glenn’s son. Glenn, the man Rick had personally witnessed him grieve over losing! Rick’s mind rebelled. This couldn’t be real. This had to be an extraordinarily sick fucking joke!

Or a delusion! Like when Lori used to call him.

“But you killed my people,” he snarled at Maggie. “A whole damn lot of them. More than I’m comfortable with. And for that, you’re gonna pay.” He crouched in front of her and looked her dead in the eye. “Remember, sweetheart, you already said my people deserved their revenge and what did I tell you?”

Rick watched as Maggie swallowed. She looked ill and ready to pass out, but she held herself together and said softly. “That those responsible would get theirs. It was only a matter of time.”

“That’s right,” Negan snickered as he got back to his feet. “So now… We come to the point. We come to my people’s vengeance. We come to  _ your _ people getting what’s coming to you.

“I’m gonna beat the holy hell outta one of you. This,” he paused as he brought up his bat. “This is Lucille.You’ve all seen me with her, but you’ve never been properly introduced. Let me tell you about her though. My girl is fucking awesome!”

“Fuck you, you piece of shit!” Abraham snapped, drawing Negan’s attention to him. Everyone else’s too, but none of them were carrying a weapon that they’d all witnessed, Savior or Survivor alike, Negan use with relish.

Negan moved like a cobra, slamming the butt of his baseball bat’s handle into the man’s head. It was a powerful hit as Abraham was knocked completely unconscious. Sasha cried out, but didn’t move.

“That’s one. You only get the one,” Negan cautioned with a smile as he looked them all over. “I get it. This is an emotional time for all of you. But do not doubt me when I warn you that another outburst like that had better not happen again.

“It doesn’t fucking fly around here. Got it? I will shut that shit down! No exceptions!” Negan barked and then began to pace in front of their line again.

Why and how had this happened? Rick felt like he was going to hurl as he tried not to think about the man before them as he’d once been known to them. Denny, the man who played with Rick’s little girl and had given all the other teens and younger kids something to do with their time. Denny, the man who had wanted nothing more than to kill Spencer for Maggie when Glenn died in a questionable walker incident.

Denny who—

Rick’s thought did an abrupt about-face as he looked to Negan, his eyes wide. He hadn’t even realized that Negan was playing some morbid game of “who gets to play with Lucille” but Rick knew who it would be. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind what was about to happen, but then Negan stopped in front of Maggie and Rick wanted to jump up and stop him.

“This is for you, darlin’,” Negan said so softly, Rick wasn’t sure who all had heard it beyond the line.

And then the bat came crashing down hard on Spencer’s head with a far more audible pop.

Rick felt nothing but shame at his relief, even as Negan struck the young man’s head again. And again. And again, until there was nothing left. It was horrific and not a soul wasn’t crying, even Maggie. They all shed tears and whimpered as they watched Spencer Monroe die a truly horrible death.

“Oh, look at my dirty girl!” Negan laughed as he swung the bat up into the air, his hazel eyes sparkling like a proud parent as he looked “Lucille” over. “She was thirsty for that. My girl’s a Vampire bat!”

There was a long, terrifying silence that no one seemed anxious to break. Rick looked back at Maggie and he saw her staring at Spencer’s remains. He looked to Carl and could see his son looking confused, but terrified.

“Now, that had better be the only motherfucker I have to kill to get through to you pieces of shit,” Negan began as he made his way back to Rick. “So to make sure we’re all on the same page, why did this happen tonight, Rick? Why did I have to kill one of your men?”

“B-because, because we killed that outpost,” Rick answered.

“Halle-fucking-llujah! You got that right on your first fucking try! I am  _ so  _ fucking proud!” Negan beamed. “Now, who do you belong to, Rick?”

He glared at the ground, not sure if he could say the words. He knew he needed to. Knew in the darkest, deepest parts of his soul that his entire family, his people, had just been spared something far worse. He just had to swallow his pride, had to play ball until they could work it all out.

“I don’t got all fucking day here, prick,” Negan hissed. “I know for a fact Mags might not even have another hour, so let’s move this shit right the fuck along. Who the  _ fuck  _ do you belong to?”

“You!” Rick forced. “You, Negan.”

“Excellent. Simon,” Negan barked. The man was at his side immediately. “Take the pregnant widow, Big Red, and his girl Sasha back to the sanctuary.” Simon nodded and started to move forward before Negan grabbed him roughly by the arm. “Gently, Simon. Gently, or I’ll give you to Oceanside.”

There was a strange look between the two men, but Rick recognized how quickly Simon paled. It wasn’t clear to Rick what Oceanside was, but there was a history there. He licked his lips and watched as Simon ordered a few men to “gently” bring the three Survivors to a van. There was so much going through Rick’s mind as he watched on in silence. He wanted to stop them, but not knowing what was going to happen to the rest of them had paralyzed Rick with fear.

“Laura!” Negan shouted and a blonde woman with a nose ring and a tattoo on her neck stepped forward. “You and a team of your choosing will be settling in Alexandria. I don’t want any fucking tussles or killing. You are my eyes and my ears as well the protection to their community, understand? If there is a need for punishment, Lucille and I will handle it.”

The blonde looked as if she wanted to cry and it confused Rick, as she smiled brightly. It was almost like she wanted to hug Negan and for a brief moment, Rick didn’t see Negan, leader of the Saviors. He saw Denny Patrick, Survivor of Alexandria looking out for a young woman who needed his help with something unknown.

“Yes, Negan,” she nodded enthusiastically. “Thank you, Negan.”

“Who are you, Laura?”

“I’m Negan,” she said with a swell of pride as her chest puffed out proudly.

“Damn right you are, kid,” Negan smiled down at her then playfully cuffed her cheek.

Laura moved to gather about six people and then Rick and his own were being pulled to their feet by those same individuals.

“These are my Saviors,” Negan said as he stepped over. “Maggie will be taken back to Sanctuary where a doctor will get a look at her. When she is cleared to leave, she will be returned with Sasha and Abe as her escorts.

“Do  _ not _ make me regret my actions tonight,” Negan hissed. He stepped up to Rick and pressed his face close. “People are a resource Rick. Saving people from their own fucking stupidity is what I do. I went easy on you all and we both know that you know it. I will be facing a lot of shit because  _ some  _ of my Saviors will have figured out that I didn’t really damage you or your people tonight. My Saviors didn’t really get their vengeance for the fifty five that you killed.

“So, don’t get cute. Don’t get fucking smart. Stay in line or I will make you bleed, Rick,” Negan warned as he grabbed his arm in a bruising grip. “I’ll see you in a week to collect my shit.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a Part 2 that I am currently writing and nearly finished with. Thanks for reading! Hope you all liked it.


End file.
